Egidio
Prevention and reimbursement · Barclays

Barclays customer: what the "Online & Mobile Banking Guarantee" actually covers — and what it doesn't.

A sourced, neutral reading of what Barclays states officially about fraud — not to talk you into switching banks, just to help you know where you stand.

Get Egidio

What Barclays actually offers

Barclays publishes two separate protections that are easy to confuse. The Online & Mobile Banking Guarantee covers payments made without your authority through Barclays' own digital channels. Separately, the mandatory Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud rules, in force since 7 October 2024, cover payments you yourself authorised while being deceived — a legally distinct case, with its own cap and excess.

Online & Mobile Banking Guarantee Reverses a payment made through Barclays' digital channels without your authority, "as soon as they can" — with exceptions for gross negligence.
APP fraud reimbursement Up to £85,000 per claim if you were deceived into authorising the payment yourself. Decision due within 5 business days of your claim.
£122,940 + 8% interest
What the Financial Ombudsman ordered Barclays to pay in a decision dated 5 February 2026 — 50% of a €383,000 APP fraud loss — after finding Barclays, as the receiving bank, should have isolated the suspicious incoming payments and investigated the account holder's entitlement to the funds before releasing them.
Financial Ombudsman Service, decision dated 5 February 2026
What this means, precisely. This case is a reminder that APP fraud liability isn't only about the bank that sent your payment. The Ombudsman can find fault with the receiving bank too, for not spotting and freezing suspicious incoming funds quickly enough — a duty separate from, and additional to, the standard reimbursement rules.

What actually happens in practice

Real Ombudsman decision

In a decision dated 5 February 2026, the Financial Ombudsman Service upheld a complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC over an Authorised Push Payment scam. Barclays, acting as the bank that received the fraudulent funds, was ordered to repay 50% of the €383,000 lost — roughly £122,940 — plus 8% annual interest from the date the fraud was reported. The Ombudsman found Barclays should have isolated the suspicious payments and investigated the account holders' entitlement to the funds before allowing them to move on.

Source: Financial Ombudsman Service, decision database, consulted 30/07/2026.

Why Egidio, alongside this

Egidio doesn't replace Barclays's protection, and doesn't try to. It acts one step earlier: detecting and blocking the manipulation attempt — the call, the message — before any payment is ever authorised. That's the difference between a claim decided case-by-case after the loss, and the loss never happening.

For the full comparison across UK banks and networks, see the "Before the Claim" page →

Frequently asked questions

Does the Online & Mobile Banking Guarantee cover a scam where I approved the payment myself?

No — that specific Guarantee covers payments made without your authority. A payment you approved yourself, even while deceived, falls under the separate mandatory APP fraud reimbursement rules instead, which have their own £85,000 cap and possible £100 excess.

Can Barclays be held liable even when it's not my bank that sent the fraudulent payment?

Yes. A Financial Ombudsman decision dated 5 February 2026 found Barclays liable as the receiving bank for not isolating and investigating suspicious incoming funds quickly enough, ordering it to repay 50% of a €383,000 loss plus interest.

Does Egidio replace Barclays' fraud protection?

No. Egidio is not a bank and does not process reimbursement claims. It acts earlier — detecting and blocking the manipulation attempt before any payment is authorised at all.